Father Dimitrios Antokas and a young volunteer work side by side to help secure the framing on this storm damaged home. More than 100 Orthodox faithful volunteered their time to IOCC Action teams this summer to restore homes and hope to families who lost everything to natural disasters. (Photo credit: Christina Meares/IOCC)

Barbara, 70, spent more than 40 years creating a comfortable home in the coastal town of Brick, New Jersey, for her family. It took only a few minutes in October 2012 for surging waters from Superstorm Sandy to flood her modest bungalow and obliterate a lifetime of hard work and treasured belongings. Her neighbor John, 80, a retired naval seaman, barely escaped his home as those same waters rushed over his bay front deck and submerged his small cottage. For these survivors and thousands of others left homeless, the prospect of starting over seemed overwhelming. IOCC, in partnership with Orthodox churches and Habitat for Humanity, sent volunteers to the East Coast this summer to assist Sandy survivors like Barbara and John in rebuilding their storm-damaged homes. "I am so thankful for the help of good people like IOCC," said Barbara. "They helped put a roof back over my head," added John.

More than 100 volunteers from Orthodox communities across the country rolled up their sleeves this summer to join IOCC in helping families from Louisiana, Texas, Minnesota, Kentucky, Delaware, and New Jersey rebuild homes destroyed by floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. As part of its longstanding commitment to volunteerism in the face of need, IOCC has provided more than 800 volunteers and almost 30,000 man-hours since 2005, rebuilding or providing critical repairs to 169 family homes damaged by natural disasters.